suds: tahona

Friday night + CU Family Weekend + Nice Weather = Clusterf*&% on the bricks.

Just so you know.

Tahona Tequila Bistro. Given my deep love for tequila, I am wondering why we didn’t get here sooner.  Tahona was not our original destination for happy hour last Friday night but crowds, a late start (because of traffic, related to the crowds) and lots of “private parties” (which we were somehow not invited to) landed us at Tahona.  And wow, did that work out!

(Tahona dining area, from my barstool)

I love Tahona’s open air bar, and though the outdoor seating and all the tables near the big open garage door were full, there were still a few stools left at the spacious bar.  Yay! Coin style margs, rocks and salt…and happily priced at $5.50.  Happy hour is all day Monday, 4-6pm during the week, and on Fridays they give you an extra hour in case you’re thirsty at 3pm. Saturday and Sunday get your happy on from noon to 6pm!

(We started with the chips and tres salsas, a very good choice. One hot, one more like pico, my fave, and one in between. Something for everyone)

But before I get off track, let’s talk about the magic of the Tahona Tequila Bistro, which is….wait for it….tequila! Tahona has a huge variety of tequilas… they explain them so well, and their descriptions are very cheeky, so I’m going to quote them here.

Blanco: Unaged, Unadulterated, Underrated
Ever wonder what the agave plant really tastes like? Sipping a balanced blanco tequila is the easy way to find out. Rich in vegetal overtones, the blanco is the tequila style the connoisseur returns to after the affair with anejos has ended.

Reposado: Rested, Refined, Rebellious
The similarities between reposados are that they are slightly aged and that they share very little in common. Some are peppery, some are astringent, some are chalky, some are smoky; all are very distinct and special in their own way.

Anejo: Old, Oaky, Outrageous
Whether the tequila is aged in used bourbon barrels, French or American Oak, the result is fantastic. Sometimes, in taste, a cousin to bourbon, other times an acquaintance of scotch. The tequila of choice for ballers, movie stars and athletes.

Sotols and Mezcals: Wild, Wicked, Wonderful
Imagine if tequila had a badass older brother who smoked (and rode a Harley), and went about things in a completely different way, this would be Mezcal, same family but slightly different genes. Sotol is in a category all to itself, a different plant (the dessert spoon) is used to make this ancient moonshine that the people of Chihuahua are proud to consider their state drink.

I just learned a thing or two….turns out, for someone who really loves tequila I know surprisingly little about it!

What I do know is that Tahona has a variety of infused tequilas as well.  Will the wonders never cease? The infused tequila is new to me. I’ve had…and even made…infused vodka. It’s pretty good, too. I like a nice spicy bloody mary with horseradish infused vodka, but we’re talking tequila here.  On the chalkboard with the skull on the bottom (I wonder, is this a cautionary sign or just a seasonal decoration?) Tahona lists all their infused tequila flavors…. cantaloupe, watermelon mint, chai, pineapple, chili pepper, strawberry, and more! I’m overwhelmed.

In a situation like this, it’s best to call in an expert. We’ll ask the bartender what he thinks.

(It’s hard to see in this photo, but the circular chalkboard hanging on the wall lists the infused tequilas…and has a skull on the bottom)

Kudos to the bartenders while we’re on the subject. They were really friendly, attentive, helpful AND they kept our water glasses full. Well done! And when six o’clock rolled around, our guy also gave us the head’s up that happy hour was about to end…did we need anything else?

Yes, as a matter of fact we do. Great service at Tahona.

Back to the infused tequila….

After our conference with the expert, I opt for a chili pepper on the rocks. Sidekick “L” (I was going to call them sidekick #1 and sidekick #2, but I didn’t want to give the impression I’m playing favorites, because I love them both bigtime) goes for a coin style marg made with the watermelon mint tequila, and immediately I feel like I chose poorly.  Sidekick “T” chooses pineapple on the rocks with a regular coin style marg to wash it down. A marg to wash down your tequila shot? God, I love this girl!

Drinks come. I take an enthusiastic gulp of my chili pepper tequila and immediately feel like I accidentally grabbed the hot salsa and downed that instead. If you suffer from allergies, I highly recommend this infused tequila, as its sinus-clearing powers put any OTC allergy medication to shame. For reals.  Sidekick L seems really happy with her choice…and for good reason! Her marg is awesome….refreshing, a touch sweet. I order one of those to balance out the firewater in my other glass. (Sidekick L doesn’t want another sip of the chili pepper on the rocks…something about a post traumatic stress reaction to a habanero infused vodka served at a Christmas party, which sounds dreadful, and apparently was).  The pineapple infused was also good, in case you’re keeping track.

Now that we have our drinks figured out, back to food. We start with a chicken and bacon quesadilla, about which sidekick L says “there’s not NOT bacon in this.” And she’s right, if you don’t really like bacon, I’d advise another choice.

And may I recommend this thing:

The queso fundito, which is essentially a bubbling cauldron of cheesy, spicy deliciousness. Get this. It’s really good. And really hot. And do NOT touch the black cauldron to see if I’m telling the truth. I am.

They have a lot of other stuff to eat….pork green chili, tortilla soup, pork green chili cheese fries (for those days when you find yourself running low on both calories AND saturated fat and want to solve the problem in one delicious plate).

So Tahona was great! I’m certain this will be a “go-to” place for us, because I really want another watermelon mint coin style marg. And hey, it’s happy hour all day today!

The rest of the evening took us below ground to hang with someone’s bored and lonely boyfriend, and up to a roofdeck featuring a really cool gigantic Jenga setup and some great peeps.  At one point late in the evening, sidekick T says… “Hmm. I don’t know if I’m going to order another one. What I really need is water.” A few bars of “Sweet Child o’ Mine” later and she’s drinking coconut rum on the rocks. Two of them. That’s a sidekick!

(Huge Jenga setup on the roofdeck. We will tell where to find this another time)

Now we’re in the random thoughts section of the blog…

If you didn’t get out to Open Studios last weekend, it’s not too late! You’ll be amazed by the artistic talent and creativity of Boulder’s local artists. It’s on again next weekend, check the website for details! The artists are awesome and it’s cool to chat with them about their work for a few minutes. (I’m taking a collage class with one of the artists in a couple of weeks. I insist I’m too type A to do proper collage.  She disagreed. We’ll see…maybe I just need some guidance.) Painters, sculptors, jewelry makers, photographers and more! If you can’t get out next weekend, stop by the Boulder Public Library this week. They are featuring one work from each of the Open Studios artists. That’s free, and the Open Studios tour is practically free as well…the map is only $10!

Here are some pieces I really liked at the library exhibit…..

Turns out there’s more to Boulder than coffee shops and happy hours!